Russia is trying to “endorse” the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s candidacy, while China and Iran oppose the re-election of President Donald Trump, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Friday.
The analysis of the suspected interference tensions of the three American opponents came in a statement from William Evanina, director of the National Center for Counterintelligence and Security, who said he was releasing the information to help Americans “play a critical role” in protecting our elections. “
While many foreign actors have views on who should hold the White House, “We are primarily concerned about the ongoing and potential activity by China, Russia and Iran,” Evanina said.
He warned that “foreign states will continue to use covert and public influence measures in their efforts to move the preferences and perspectives of American voters, shift US policies, increase the misfortune in the United States, and increase US confidence. burying people in our democratic process ”ahead of the November 3 elections.
“We are all together as Americans,” Evanina said in the statement. “Our elections must be our own. Foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections are a direct threat to the fabric of our democracy.”
William Evanina, Director of the National Center for Intelligence and Security Services, responds to a reporter’s question in Washington, DC.
Bill O’Leary | The Washington Post | Getty Images
At a news conference Friday night, Trump even reiterated the findings of his own intelligence agencies.
“It could be,” Trump began when a reporter asked if he believed the assessment that Russia was trying to mediate in the election against Biden.
But he quickly added, “I think the last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump.”
When the reporter found that the statement from the American intelligence service did say the opposite, Trump shot back, “Well, I do not care what anyone says.”
“No one with any health would say” that Russia wanted him to win, “Trump said.
Asked what he intended to do about the alleged interference, Trump said, “Well, we’ll take a closer look.
The alleged preferences of Russia, China and Iran reflect how Trump and Biden talked about them on the campaign trail.
Trump has criticized Beijing in almost every recent speech for its handling of the coronavirus, which first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The virus has since grown into a pandemic that has taken an enormous toll on the United States: More than 4.88 million cases and at least 160,111 Covid-19 deaths have been reported in the US, according to data from ‘ and Johns Hopkins University.
The Trump administration has also regularly condemned and attacked Iran with punishments of economic sanctions.
Biden, meanwhile, has blamed Trump for failing to tackle Russian threats abroad – and his campaign remained that attack line in response to Evanina’s statement.
“Donald Trump has publicly and repeatedly invited, emboldened, and even sought to force foreign interference in U.S. elections,” longtime Biden adviser Tony Blinken said in response.
Evanina’s statement said China wants Trump to lose in part because Beijing sees him as “unpredictable”.
“China has expanded its influence efforts by November 2020 to shape the policy environment in the United States, putting pressure on political figures it considers contrary to China’s interests, and criticizing and opposing criticism of China,” it said.
On Russia, U.S. intelligence estimates that the Kremlin “uses a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia ‘establishment.” “Russian officials spread ‘corruption allegations’ in an attempt to” endorse “Biden and the Democratic Party,” the statement said.
“Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to increase President Trump’s candidacy on social media and Russian television,” it said.
Evanina’s statement also says that Iran “is trying to undermine US Democratic institutions, President Trump, and divide the country ahead of the 2020 elections.”
Iran is likely to focus on operations for online influence, including promulgating disinformation campaigns on social media and anti-American content.
“Tehran’s motivation to carry out such activities is driven, in part, by a perception that President Trump’s re – election would result in a continuation of US pressure on Iran in an effort to promote regime change,” Evanina said. .
In response to the intelligence assessment, National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said the US “will not tolerate foreign interference in our electoral processes and will respond to malicious foreign threats posing to our democratic institutions.”
“The United States is working to identify and disrupt foreign influence efforts aimed at our political system, including efforts designed to suppress voter turnout or undermine public confidence in the integrity of our elections, “Ullyot said.
The Trump campaign used the report as fodder for another attack on Biden. “We do not need or want any foreign interference, and President Trump will defeat Joe Biden honestly and squarely,” said campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh.
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